Improvement in peesses



4 its full height and prepared for another descent.

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Letters .Patent No. 71,0?1, dated November 19, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN PRESSES.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CON CERN:

Beit known that I, ULRICH Sermon, of Nauvoo, in the 'county of Hancock, and: State of Illinois, have inventedfa new and useful Improvement in Presses; and Idoherebydeclare that lthe following Vis a full and clear description thereof, reference being had to. the accompanying drawings, and to the'letters of reference marked thereon. A

This invention relates to certain combinations ofrlevers, weights, and tackle appliedto a follower 0f a' press in such a manner as to produce a constant pressure upon the article to be pressd, thus greatly improvingthe eihcicncy of the press overfthose wherein a certain fixed power is applied at the commencement of the operation and afterward'increased irregularly at intervals thereafter,as in the'case of vscrew or lever-presses. The

press. constructed as hereinafter described is especially adapted to the extraction of thejuice fr om the grape for purposes of wine-manufacture, an operation which'has until nowbeen most perfectly performedby the pressure of the naked human feet. Although especially adapted for this particular purpose, this press may be used with equal benefit for 'a cider, lard, cheese, or other similar press. v

To enable those skilled 'in .the art to make and use my improved press, I will proceed todescribe its construc-A tion and operation.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a side elevationv of the improved machine.v Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of it.

Figure 3 is a plan of the same. Figure 4 isl a rear end elevation.

A is the platform or foundation framework on .which the press is erected. The platform B on top of A is!l that on which'the` article to be pressed is placed. The posts C erected upon the framework A. serve as guides for the follower D. Tovthe bottom part of this follower are attached the hangers cl d-, in which said hangers there are bearings for the roller E. The two central hangers d are also used as followersfor forcing down the upper platen D1. The roller E is provided with two'ratchetsE, which are actuated by means of the pawls e attached to the levers F. In the outer ends of v the levers .F are small sheaves, f, over which the cords or ropes f pass. One end of each of theseropes is attached to a roller, Gr, *and the other end to a weight, lw. Each of the rollers Gr` isl provided with a ratchet, g, and a pawl,.g,;also a crank, g2, as a means of winding up the 'cord'V -f and retaining it about the cylindrical portion of the .roller G. In large presses lit may be expedient to make an application o f cogged-pinions intervening between the crank g2 and the roller G for the purpose of reducing the'amount of power to be applied to the said crank in the operation of the machine. On cach-outer end of the i roller E there'is attached a rope or cord, H', whchiis rceved over sheaves fixed to the followerand to the lower platen-beam D2. Of c ourse the number of .sheaves t and of thestrands H may be increased indefinitely,

. and ,the number employed'will always be 'proportionate'to the amount of power to be developed by the press.

The construction of the -levers F, the pawls e, and the' ratchets E is such that when the outer'end of the said levers has reachedthe bottom pointto which they are allowed to go, and are raisedup just a little, the pawls will becomedisengaged from their ratchets by the simple action of their gravitation, and this same action will be all that will be required to replace them in the teeth of the ratchets, when` the lever shall have been raised to The ac tion ofthe machine thus constructed is as follows: The follower D being at the top of its guides at the commencement of .the operation, the levers F-will be raised up as high as they .will go, either by the direct lift of the person operating them or by the application of some hoisting-tackle, not shown. When the levers are up, and commence their descent, thc pawls e will drop ,into the teeth ofthe ratchets, and turn the roller E with them in their descent. -As the'roller E turns, it. will ofcoursewind up the cords or ropes H about its cylindrical ends, and the lrope so' taken up will of course draw the follower D down toward the bottom platen-A beam D2 with great force, and in such a` manner asto vpress. .withfgreat violence any article which maybe placed between the saidl follower `und lower platen. When the-outer ends of the levers are up, as has' already b een described, the weights w will be drawn up to'them by simply turning the cranks g, and then the said weights will act upon the said levers to press' them down with a uniform pressure until said levers are down as far as the rollers .when the pawls gl may be released, and the levers again raised, and the operation repeated, as

before. The advantage of this application of the weights'w to the said leversl is that a constant pressure is l brought to bear upon t-he follower to force it down, which said application is o'f great benefit in the pressing of c nany substances, as, for instance, grapes when wine is to be extracted from them. In order to raise the fol- S" lower D and its appendages to the top of its Ways, I employ the ropes I,'one 'end of each of which is attached thereto, and from such points'of attachment the said Yropes pass up over sheaves?! fixed in the top beam C', .vhich caps the posts C. From the said sheaves z' the aforesaid ropes I pass down to and around a cylindrical lrum, I', which is sustained between the posts z" on the platform A. A. crank, z'z, attached to the drum or roller l', maybe used to turn it vso as to wind the said ropes I around it, and thus raise the follower D to the topof Its ways.

Having described my invention, what I claim, is-

l. The conbination and arrangement of the levers I, the ratchets E', and the weights w, substantially in' ;he manner and for the purpose set forth. i

2. I claim theV combination of the roller E,Athe ratchets'E, and-the tackle H substantially in the manner I md for the purpose-set forth. i

3. I claim the combination and arrangement of the follower D, the cords I, and the roller I', substantially A ts described and set forth.

` t ULRICH SGHEGG. F Witnesses: y

M. RANDOLPH, C. R. PRATT. irl" 

